Steering arrangement for motor and other road vehicles



2 sheets-sheet 1 A; E.- PARNAco-r'lr STEERING ARRANGEMENT FOR MOTORv A ND QTHER ROAD VEHICLES K Filed sept. A19, 1922 Fab.. zu 1923,

Feb. 2n, 1923.`

A. E. PARNACOTT 'STEERING ARRANGEMENT FOR MOTOR AND,OTHER ROAD VEHICLES Filed Sept. 19, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 atented lFeb. 2U, 1923.,

ALFRED EDMUND PARNACOTT, or LONDON, yENGLAND.

STEERING ARRANGEMENT ron Moron AND OTHgnn RoADvEHIoLns.

Application led September 19, 1922. Serial No.` 589,247.

To all whom t may concern:

' Be it known that ALFRED EmrUND PARNA- co'r'r, of Penge Lane,l Penge, London, S. E. 5

20,' England,a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland (whose post-office address is Penge Lane, Penge, London, S. E.

-20, England), has invented certain new and -useful Improvements in or Relating to the -vehicle `at some .point'or points interinecliatefof their ends. and to the means employed vfor Veffecting the steering control of the wheels." j i The object-fof the' present invention is to provide-an `improved and simplified construction;ofsteering carriage and steering gear which`jsl1all alford greater flexibility and be more reliable than thosehitherto Aemployed and 'furthermore shall prevent detlect-ion'of the steering by irregularrroad surfaces, as well as the adverse elfec'ts on the steering-of reaction ofthe brake `or'drive torque. l l y According'- to the present inventionV the steering axlelcomprises upper andA lower load carrying springs and a'thirdV spring of similar calnber serving as a steering coupling -or track rod and the steering road wheels are pivotally connected to the ends of the springs in such manner' that the steeringmovement sets up a canting action on the roadwheels tending to minimize the destructive -axial thrusts imposed upon the wheels'used withsteering axles of ordinary construction. The ends of thel springs are connected fby universal joints to link members hereinafter 'referred to as spiders,

which arefiformed-with bearings adapted to receive journals attached to .the road wheels and the canting action 'mentioned above is l brought about by locating v'the universal connection with the upper load carrying spring at a point above the 4wheel center and the universal connection with the. other two springs at points slightly forward and rearward of the vertical line of the wheel center, thevrespective positionsof the last two points of connection being dependentupon whether a frontier rear steering axle is to be constructed. -Dished wheels -are preferably employed and the points of connection between the spider and the spring ends are arranged as nearly as possible in the central plane of rotation of the wheel tire.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a front elevation partly in section of a portion of my improved steering system.

Fig l isla side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with the road wheel removed.

In thecxainple illustrated, the axle cornprises three leaf springs a, b and c of similar camber arranged transversely of the vehicle, two -of-these springs a, and b constituting load bearing members proper being attached at or near their center to the vehicle frame whilst the third spring c forms asteering track rod or'coupling rod. One of the load 'bearing springs a is positioned vertically above the common axis of the 'road wheels d -when in their normal position, whilst the other load carrying spring b `is arranged below and slightly forward of said axis and these springs are connected at their ends by `universal joints cto spiders carrying the bearings in which the road 'wheel journals lrotate, lthe effect being `that the spiders are By this arrangement Ait will be evident that the rearward coupling spring 0 will not only effect the steering control but the wheels d when turning will be inclined from the vertical in the same manner as those 'of a` bicycle and theI deleterious stresses imposed upon the wheel structure considerably l reduced.

Each of the spiders f forming the point of connection between the spring axle and road wheels preferablyl comprises a central collar or hollow boss f adapted to receive or form a bearingfor the` journal d of the wheel from which collar one arm formed vwith a recess or socket at its extremity extends upwardly whilst a second arm depends and is formed with a forked extremity having two recesses or sockets. -Each of thesey recesses is adapted to receivethe end of one of the springs together with a steel bearing ball g which beds between a hollow' spherical seating /z formed4 in the recess and a cup like depression in the spring end, whilst an adjustable screw plug z' also having a hollow spherical seating is provided to screw into an aperture in the spider and press upon the outer surface of the cup and so hold the spring and the ball g in engageinrnt with the tirst mentioned seating. All the spring ends are engaged with the spiders in thel manner just described the connections constituting universal joints which permit or' free angular movement between the parts when the wheel or vehicle body is oscillated vertically. lt will be understood however that other t'orins ot' universal couplings may be employed for connecting the spiders to the springs.

As mentioned above the spiders are formed with a central collar or hollow boss which serves as a bearing for the hollow journal d attached to and projectingl inwardl .from the conical or dished sheet-metal wheel d. The journal is preferably retained in this bearing by an adjustable thrust ring j which lengages the inner end of the journal and has a dust excluding flange arranged to overlap externally the inner end of the spider bearing f. The thrust ring is made a sliding tit upon the journal end and is adapted to be locked in any position of adjustment by -a locking bolt 76 passed through aligned holes in the 'ring and the journal. -To provide for a suitable range of adjustment the thrust ring may be formed with a plurality of holes Z Vspaced equidistantly around its periphery whilst a corresponding nninber'ofholes Z are arranged in helical i'orm around the journal CZ in such manner that in any position of adjustment one hole in the ring comes into or substantiallyiinto alignment with a hole i'n the journal.

Steering control of the axle is effected by a bell crank lever m pivoted on the vehicle frame and having one arm m engaging a bolt or pin n attached to the coupling mein ber c of the axle. In order to obviate the use of a universal joint at the extremityof the other arm fm2 of the bell crank lever which is coupled to the steering connecting or pull and push rod, the arm m of the lever is preferably made as long as practicable so that a small degree of angular movement only is necessary and the end of the arm m2 is formed with a screwed shank m3 upon which a blade of spring steel o constituting the end of the connecting rod is held between washers .0 by a nut engaging the screwed shank.

As stated hereinbefore the steering ar rangement described is equally applicable to front and rear axles and where it is required to drive the road wheels power maybe trans' initted by drive shafts projecting into the hollow journals of the wheels and operatively connected thereto by universal joints located approximately in the central planes of rotation of the wheels.

By meansof the construction described the cost of manufacture is not only considerably reduced but an arrangement of steering cariiage and gear is provided which is improved in weight'.-

I claim l l l. A structure of the character described comprising upper and lower load carrying springs positioned ont.of vertical alinement, a'steeriiig rod spaced transversely from the lower spring whereby a vertical line passing point of flexibility, strength and' through the upper spring will pass between the lower spring and steering rod, and a wheel mounting having' its upper portion connected with the end of the upper spring and its lower portion connected with the lower spring and steeringrod.

2. A structure of the character described comprising upper and lower load carrying springs positioned'out of Vertical alinement7 a steering rod spaced transversely from the lower spring whereby a vertical line passing through the upper spring will pass between the lower spring and steering rod, and a wheel mounting spider having a bearing, an upper arm connected with said upper spring, and lower arms connected with the lower spring vand steering rod.

The structure of claim l having the wheel mounting formed with a hollow boss serving as a bearing for a wheel, upwardly and downwardly extending arms each vided with a recess, and ball and socket joint structures fitting into the recesses and connecting the springs and Asteering rod with said wheel mounting.

4. The structure of claim l having the wheel mounting formed with a vhollow boss serving as a bearing for a wheel7 upwardly signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED EDMUND PARNACOTT. W'itnesses:

CHAs. J. FALCONER, L.- A. GARRE'rr.,

pro:

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